Stockholm Surrender (17 page)

Suddenly it was there, a huge tight spring of bliss about to uncoil. “I’m coming,” I shouted, lifting my head and staring at the flowery wallpaper behind the bed. “Oh god, I’m coming, it’s beautiful, it’s so big. I don’t know if I can…” I was frantic, feverish, fraught.

“I’ve got you, baby, remember, I’ve got you. Just let it take you,” Ty said breathlessly.

He was gripping my hips, dragging me onto him. I gave in to the pressure within me, let it consume my whole body in wild, uncontrolled spasms.

“Thank fuck for that,” James groaned, then with one powerful upsurge of his hips, I became aware of him pulsing inside me. He cried out, a deep guttural wail of release that shook the room and vibrated from his chest into mine.

“Ah, yes, yes.” Ty shoved as deep as he could possibly go, stretching the burning ring of my anus, then he too was shooting his pleasure into me.

I trembled and shook. I was on a different dimension where only thick cocks and hot men existed. My pelvis was contracting, squeezing the hard rods inside me. My mind spun and lights flashed before my eyes.

Eventually Ty slowed his thrusting.

James smiled gently up at me and ran his fingers through my hair. “You okay, Penny?”

I nodded and continued to pant, sucking in air as my body was ravaged by aftershocks. I could hardly believe what we’d done, what I’d managed to take.

Ty eased his cock from my ass, and as I lifted from James I saw Ty drop his condom in the bin.

I flopped onto my back, my arms stretching out sideways, one banged over James’ rapidly rising and falling chest. “Bloody hell,” I said, staring at the ceiling. “That was intense.”

James meshed his fingers with mine and squeezed my hand. “It was amazing. Thank you, Penny, thank you for being so understanding.”

I turned to him and smiled, then looked at Ty as he climbed back onto the bed.

His flushed face sported a wide grin. “How did I get so damn lucky?” he asked. “You’re just the hottest, most gorgeous, giving woman a man could ever want.” He planted a lingering kiss on my perspiring forehead.

“Yeah, well, you were giving it out pretty good yourself just then,” I said, touching the pulse in his neck and rejoicing in the love I felt for him. The love that was there to stay.

“But you always have to do that, don’t you, Winters?” James said gruffly.

Confusion and a shard of hurt speared through me. Had they indulged in threesomes before? Was I not their first joint conquest?

“What do you mean?” Ty asked, molding me against his body and wrapping his arms possessively around my shoulders.

James turned on his side and propped his head onto his hand, his dark, brooding gaze settled on Ty. “I mean, you always have to take things to the extreme. Never mind just sharing, one after the other, it has to be at the same bloody time.”

Ty gave a lopsided, rakish smile. “You know me, I take everything to the extreme. So why complain now?”

James grinned and for the first time since I’d met him I saw a sparkle in his eyes. “I’m not complaining in the least,” he said, “it just wasn’t quite the gentle initiation back into sex I was under the impression it was going to be.”

I giggled and clasped my legs together. My intimate parts were still swollen and throbbing lusciously. “It was good though, wasn’t it?”

“The best,” James said, spooning his body against mine so that I was surrounded by warm, testosterone-soaked muscle. “I’m officially back in the game and bloody hell, I really hope you have a best friend who’s just as hot as you.”

“As a matter of fact I have,” I said, tucking my head beneath Ty’s chin, inhaling the delicious after-sex scent his body produced. “I’ll introduce you to her as soon as possible, but it may involve a trip to Edinburgh.”

“I can handle that,” James said, slipping his hand around my waist.

It was the perfect end to a perfect evening and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here, in this flowery room on this small cottagey bed. It was as if all the pieces of a very complex puzzle had finally fallen into place. A wonderful, satisfying, heavenly place that I could never have predicted but was immensely grateful existed.

Epilogue

Seven months later

Trinny gave my veil one last tweak then offered forward my bouquet of white and pink roses.

“Don’t forget to throw this my way later,” she said with a grin.

I looped my hand through the crook of Dad’s arm and smiled at her. “I’m not sure James is the settling-down type, Trin.”

“I wouldn’t have thought Ty was, but hey, you’ve managed to catch him.” She gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Good luck, I’ll be right behind you.”

I took a deep breath and tilted my chin, willing control of my emotions as the first bars of the wedding march rang through the church.

“You okay?” Dad asked, smiling at me.

I couldn’t help but think how handsome he looked, dressed in top hat and tails, his lilac cravat perfectly neat and his eyes shining with pride. “I’m fine, never better.”

“Any second thoughts?”

I shook my head. “Absolutely not.”

Dad grinned. “Good, because I couldn’t imagine handing my only daughter, my most precious possession, over to anyone other than Ty. He is the only man I could ever really trust to look after you the same way I have.”

I swallowed tightly as tears nipped at my eyes.

So much for having a handle on my emotions.

“He’s such a fine young man,” Dad went on, “morally upstanding and loyal and clearly one hundred percent, head over heels in love with you.” He tipped his head. “And who can blame him. You look stunning”

“Thanks,” I said with a nervous smile.

Dad and Ty had gotten close over the last few months. Well, as close as they were ever going to get. When Ty’s visa was about to run out and he was applying for his teacher training course in Oxford, it was Dad who suggested, in a roundabout kind of way, that getting married would be the solution to his dilemma of wanting to stay in the UK, with me.

“I love him very much, Dad.”

“I know you do, sweetheart, a father can tell these things. I’m just thrilled that after all that deeply unpleasant business last year, I can finally relax. Knowing that evil thug has to get through Ty to come anywhere near you will allow me to sleep much sounder at night. I know full well the man standing in that church would die before he let anyone harm even a hair on your head.”

I suppressed a juddering breath as myriad images flashed through my mind. Ty throwing a knife at a snake, killing it outright. Ty slicing off my hair, binding me to a chair, drugging me, making love to me, dancing with me, kissing me, telling me how much he loved me. Ty, Ty, Ty. He was my world, my universe, and in a few minutes he would be my husband and our souls would be bound for all time.

“Come on,” I said, willing the butterflies in my stomach to settle. “They’ll be waiting.”

We stepped forward, around a big stone pillar and onto the long aisle of All Saints Church. I had one final glance down at my pure-white dress. It was a simple, figure-hugging floor-length number with delicate straps. I hadn’t wanted anything big and fussy that would swamp my tiny frame, and I’d teamed it with only a delicate silver necklace my grandmother had left me.

A sea of faces turned toward us, the organ rang loud and clear, and at the end of the aisle I could see Ty. He stood with his back to me, his hands appeared clasped in front of him, and his tall, broad frame was perfectly outlined by his black tails and pinstriped gray pants.

James stood at his side, and as I got closer he turned and smiled at me. It was an admiring, reassuring smile that warmed my belly, then he leaned toward Ty and spoke into his ear.

Ty turned immediately and his gaze caught mine.

My heart stuttered, and the love I felt threatened to overwhelm me. Was I really lucky enough to have such an amazing man standing at the end of an aisle waiting to marry me?

It seemed I was.

Dad and I drew level with James and my future husband.

Ty didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. I could tell by his eyes he felt as in awe of the moment as I did.

“Welcome,” Reverend Alan said quietly, giving an encouraging nod to both of us.

I acknowledged him with a smile then allowed Trinny to fold back my veil and take my bouquet. She pressed a quick kiss to my cheek then touched the spot to ensure no lipstick had been left. I was glad I’d told her everything. Her constant support and nonjudgmental friendship was incredibly precious and had, at times, in the last few busy weeks, been my only grip on sanity.

The reverend gave a brief welcome speech to the congregation, talked about the sanctity of marriage, then opened his prayer book.

“Who gives this woman to be wed?” he asked and looked expectantly at Dad.

Dad unhooked my arm from his and I realized how much I’d been physically leaning on him. He straightened out my arm, holding my small hand in his large one, and very gently he placed it in the reverend’s hand. “I do,” he said, his voice gruff with emotion.

Reverend Alan smiled and as his warm fingers pressed into my palm, I watched mesmerized as he placed my hand in Ty’s. It was as if life had become slow motion. Seeing Dad pass me over, in such an honest, trusting way, through the hands of a man of God to Ty, the man who he, Dad, feared the most, created a twist in my guts and my heart thudded violently.

A rush of heat rose up my chest, pricked at my underarms and temples. I struggled to focus, my French-manicured nails blurred, my knees weakened. I opened my mouth and pulled in a breath, watched the altar and the reverend sway then merge as one fuzz of color.

Ty shot his arm around my waist. “Hey, baby, you feeling okay?”

His long, strong body was against mine, holding me up, supporting me. I looked into his face. He creased his brow and stared down at me, and in that moment it all became clear. It didn’t matter how we’d met, what the circumstances. That was all in the past, our past. The truth was here, now, in the present. He loved me, I loved him, and like Dad said, I knew Ty would die before he let anyone hurt me.

I nodded. “Yes, fine, just a little warm.”

“You need a break?” he asked with a worried frown.

“No, no, I’m fine, just, don’t let me go.”

“I won’t,” he whispered. “Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.”

The rest of the ceremony went without hiccup, and once at The Dorchester Hotel, our champagne reception ran smoothly. Ty’s parents and two of his aunts and uncles had flown in from Perth, and seeing our family and friends getting on so well was a delight.

I couldn’t stop touching my thin platinum wedding ring. It was so beautiful and meant so much. It made me Ty’s wife, Ty’s possession, and when the time came for our first dance I melted into him, sliding my hands up the muscles of his back and rejoicing in being able to dance with him the way I truly wanted to. No more pretense, we were who we were. Man and wife. A married couple.

The hours flew by, just like people said they would as I’d planned the big day. I managed to speak to everyone and felt my cheeks would surely drop off they were so tired from smiling.

Eventually I could put off the need to use the bathroom no longer. As I put my hand on the ornate gold door handle to exit the reception room, Phil rested his fingers on my shoulder.

“Congratulations,” he said with a warm smile.

“Thank you.”

“I told you people who are meant to be together are drawn to one another.”

“You were right.” I pushed open the door.

He narrowed his eyes and settled his sharp gaze on me. “I usually am, Penny, I usually am.”

There was a moment of silent deliberation between us. Then I gave a quick, polite smile and slipped from the elegant room. If Phil had known there was more to Ty and me, he’d never said anything, and what did it matter now? We were married, we would be together forever.

After quickly using the bathroom, I walked swiftly back along the deserted corridor, anxious not to miss a moment of my special day and keen to get back to Ty.

Suddenly a hand clamped over my mouth. A big, hard, determined hand and I was tipped backward, tugged into a dark cupboard. The door slammed with a heavy clunk.

I wriggled and writhed, huffed and puffed, yanked at the palm over my face.

“Shh, I just want to steal the bride away for a couple of minutes.” The hand left my mouth and a hard body pinned me up against the wall.

“Ty,” I said. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“Sorry. I couldn’t resist.” There was mischievous mirth in his tone.

I looped my hands around his neck. “Is this how it’s always going to be?”

“If you mean unpredictable, exciting, spontaneous, then yeah, baby, that’s exactly what being married to me is going to be like, but I thought you knew that.”

“Of course, it’s one of the many things I love about you.”

“And your ass in that dress is one of the many things I love about you.” He slid his hands down my waist and groped my butt through the thin, slippery material. “It’s so sexy. I didn’t think wedding dresses were supposed to be this sexy, but bloody hell, this has been making me hard all day. All this silky white material wrapped around your body. God, I hope your underwear is white too.”

“Might be.” I giggled as he pressed a steely erection against my hip. “But you’ll have to wait until later to find out for sure.”

“Oh yeah. You reckon?”

I gasped as he dragged up my dress, pulling it all the way from my ankles right up to my waist. The material sat like a rucked belt, exposing my white satin thong and letting cool air waft around my thighs. “Ty, think of the creases. I’ve got to go back in there.”

“No, sorry, my mind isn’t into worrying about girly stuff like that.” He glanced down, spotted the white strip of material covering my pussy, then his mouth found mine. He probed his tongue in and I tasted champagne and strawberries, desire and, the most delicious flavor of all, Ty.

The kiss intensified and thoughts of creases flew from my mind. I just wanted him, I needed him.

Now.

It seemed he felt the same.

“I’m going to consummate our marriage, here, this very minute,” he murmured, kissing over my cheek and pulling aside the thin strip of material that made up my gusset.

“You are?” I fumbled with the button and zipper on his pants.

“Yeah, and later, in that big room we’ve got booked upstairs, I’m going to tie you up, tie your arms and legs to each thick post of that fancy bed and show you what a great time you’re going to have every night for the rest of your life.”

“Sounds fun, I can’t wait for the rest of my life.” I wrapped my hand around his hard, heavy shaft at the same time as he plunged his fingers into my pussy.

We both groaned, kissed again, hard and urgently, and then he was there, poised for penetration.

“Oh, sweet Jesus,” he moaned, pushing the tip of his cock into my entrance. “Every time I fuck you it just gets better.”

“I know,” I said, thinking back to the very first time in the outback. I’d been his hostage, his prisoner, he’d made me fly high. He was still making me fly high.

As my new husband rammed his cock to the hilt, I squeezed my eyes shut and surrendered myself to him. I’d always been his, I always would be. He’d stolen my heart and seduced my soul.

Just as well the feelings had turned out to be mutual.